Shuttle



B. S. .ATWOOD.

SHUTTLE. APPLICATION FILEITFEB. 21. 1918.

4 1 1 2 666} Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOBRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. C.

entrain srnrns rnrnur current BENJAMIN S. ATWOOD, OF MILFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHUTTLE.

Application filed February 27, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN S. Arwoon, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Milford, county of WVorcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Shuttles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to" a shuttle. forlooms.

A shuttle is usually long, in relation to its breadth and is formed with a longitudinal compartment therein which extends the major part of the length of the shuttle and in which the cop of thread is adapted to be placed. It has been common, heretofore, to provide a short tube or eyelet extending through the wall of the shuttle, through which the thread is drawn, as it unwinds from the cop and to provide a hook or similar instrument adapted to be extended through the tube or eyelet to initially catch the thread and draw it through said tubeor eyelet.

In the practical operation of such a shuttle it has been found that the operatives disliked to use the instrument provided for the purpose of initially drawing the thread through the tube or eyelet and preferred to suck the thread through, by placing the outer opening of the eyelet to the lip and drawing in air through the eyelet.

Due to the indiscriminate interchange of shuttles between operatives, this practice resulted in the transmission of diseases between the operatives.

Means have been proposed whereby the tube or eyelet through the shuttle is eliminated, to thereby prevent the practice of sucking the thread through but such means are comparatively bulky and the material of which the shuttle is made, usually wood, must be cut away, adjacent an end thereof, to accommodate said means. Inasmuch as the shuttle is impelled through the loomby impacts upon the alternate ends thereof as it reaches the end of its travel at each side of the loom, it is seen that such cutting away of material is exceedingly undesirable as it weakens the shuttle just where it should have the greatest strength.

An object of my invention is in the provision of means for guiding the thread Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12, 191W.

Serial No. 219,388.

through the shuttle, which is so arranged that the thread cannot be sucked therethrough by an operative, and the operative is thereby compelled to use an instrument provided for the purpose of drawing the thread through the shuttle.

A further object of my invention is in the provision of thread guiding means of small dimensions whereby the strength of the shuttle is not materially reduced by the use of such means.

The means whereby I accomplish these objects of my invention is in the provision of a thread guide in the form of a tube of substantial length in relation to its diameter and extended from a point adjacent the end of the cop through the shuttle at a convenient point. Thread is adapted to be drawn therethrough by means of a flexible hook adapted to be inserted through the tube and afterward withdrawn with the thread hooked on the end thereof.

The tube is provided with a plurality of openings therethrough between the ends of the tube by means of which an operative is effectively prevented from sucking the thread through the tube. As the operative sucks at the end of the tube and draws air therethrough, air will enter the tube through said holes or openings in preference to passing from the end of the tube adjacent the copthrough the entire length of tube, and there will be, in consequence an insuliicient How of air at the cop end of the tube to entrain the end of the thread.

Furthermore the tube is of small dimensions and may be secured in and the end thereof extended through the shuttle without the removal of an amount of material sufiicient to appreciably weaken the shuttle.

Shuttles are usually provided with a thread opening or guide placed in one end of the shuttle. With this arrangement it is necessary that the shuttle in the operation of the loom, be extended beyond the loom on each side, substantially the length of the shuttle.

An object of my invention is in the provision of a shuttle" in which the thread passes through the shuttle approximately midway between its ends, which object is accomplished by forming the thread tube of suflicient length to extend from a point adjacent the end of the cop to a point near the middle of the shuttle.

By this arrangement, the travel of the shuttle beyond the loom, on each side, may be reduced by about one half the length of the shuttle, thereby reducing the overall length of the machine by about the length of the shuttle, which may be in the vicinity of fifteen inches.

There is considerable commercial advantage accruing from this result inasmuch as the looms are customarily arranged in long rows in a room and the decrease in length of a loom by about the above named value permits the installation of more looms in a room of a given length and thereby increases the capacity of the room: or it per mits a smaller room to be used for the same output of woven material.

I am aware that shuttles have been constructed, heretofore, with a thread opening approximately midway between the ends thereof, but in such instances the end of the cop of thread is arranged adjacent the opening through the shuttle and the additional length of shuttle beyond the end of the cop is of no value in inclosing an additional supply of thread.

In my invention I employ a cop whlch substantially fills the entire space found in the shuttle, when filled with thread and the opening through the shuttle is arranged adjacent the middle of the cop of thread. By this arrangement, the entire capacity of the shuttle is utilized and the advantages of the passage of the thread through the middle portion of the shuttle obtained.

Thread guides have been constructed of steel which are easy to work into the desired shape and which are strong. That portion of the guide through which the thread is drawn is highly polished to reduce the friction between the thread and guides as this thread is rapidly drawn through.

Regardless of the polished surface of the guide however, the thread rapidly abrades the material composing the guide and cuts it through, thereby forming sharp edges in the guide which cut the thread. Threads of certain material cut the guide faster than threads of certain other material and in some instances it has been found necessary to replace the thread guides of shuttles as frequently as every week in order to insure against the cutting of the thread.

Thread guides have also been made of glazed porcelain and have operated with success in that the cutting of the guide by the thread is eliminated a nd the thread therefore is not cut or broken by the guide. Porcelain or other vitreous substance which admits of glazing is very brittle and easily broken however and has but a short life under the blows and impacts to which a shuttle is subjected.

A further object of my invention is in the provision of a thread guide in which is incorporated the strength of steel and the anti-frictional properties of porcelain.

I accomplish this object of my invention in the provision of a thread guide formed of steel and having that portion thereof with which the thread would otherwise come in contact coated with an enamel, which thereby imparts to the steel guide the desirable properties of l the porcelain or glazed guide without imparting thereto its fragile properties.

I am aware that it is common practice to coat various articles with an enamel but I am not aware that it has been heretofore proposed to coat a steel or other metal thread guide with enamel.

Figure 1 is a plan detail of an end of a shuttle embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail of the thread tube in a shuttle.

Fig. 4 is a plan detail of the thread tube in a shuttle.

Fig. 5 is a plan View of a shuttle showing the passage for the thread through the middle part of the shuttle.

Fig. 6 is a detail of a clamping means for the thread tube.

Fig. 7 is a detail of an end of the thread tube.

Fig. 8 is an instrument employed to pull the thread through the tube.

As here shown, the shuttle is formed with solid ends 10 and a longitudinal central opening 11 in which the thread cop 12 is adapted to be disposed. The opening or chamber 11 is usually made as large as pos sible, transversely of the shuttle, in order that a cop of thread of the maximum diameter may be contained therein and the length of said opening is made as long as possible for the same reason, sufiicient material being retained in the ends and sides to provide the necessary strength. It may be seen that, with the provision of a thread guide, to be described, such that little cutting of the shuttle is necessary, more material may be removed from the ends and sides of the shuttle to thereby accommodate a greater supply of thread.

The thread guide comprises a tube 13 preferably formed of steel, of substantial length in relation to its diameter and formed with an end 14 into which the thread is adapted to enter, and an end 15 from which the thread is adapted to pass from the shuttle. A number of holes or openings 16 are formed through said tube between the ends thereof and through which air is adapted to flow when it is attempted to suck an end.

area of said holes or openings 16 is considerably greater than the area of the inlet end of the tube and said openings are considerably nearer the exit end 15 of said tube than is said inlet opening, all of which combines to cause air to be drawn into the tube through said holes or openings 16 rather than through the inlet end 14: of the tube. With such an arrangement there can never be sufficient air flowing through the inlet end of the tube, or that end adjacent the cap, to cause the end of a thread to be entrained and drawn through the tube.

The edge of the end 1 1 of said tube is arranged to be substantially in alinement with the cop 12 in order that the thread contained on said cop may freely unwind without catching on the front of the cop.

The tube is partially embedded in the shuttle to thereby occupy but a small space in the opening 11 and the body of said tube is arranged to be below the major diameter of the cop of thread whereby the presence of the tube does not restrict the maximum diameter of the cop of thread which can be held in the shuttle.

The end portions of said tube are curved to approximately conform to the shape of the opening 11 and the end 14: thereof adj acent the cop is inclined upwardly so that its opening is in substantial alinement with said cop.

The end portion 15 of said tube is partially extended through an opening 17 in the wall 17 of the shuttle through which the thread is arranged to pass, from the shuttle.

The ends of said tube are provided with flange portions 18 swaged or otherwise formed on the ends to provide a well rounded and smooth entrance to and exit from the tube for} the thread and to obviate sharp corners that would serve to cut and break the thread.

A clamp 19 is provided to secure the end 14 of the tube to the shuttle. Said clamp is slidably arranged in a small slot 20 in the wall 17 of the shuttle and is formed with a threaded lug 21 in which a screw 22 is arranged. Said screw extends through the wall 17 of the shuttle and the head thereof is arranged in a slot 23 whereby the screw is embedded beneath the outer surface of the shuttle. The clamp 19 is formed with a curved end 24 which is adapted to engage the tube. By turning the screw 22, the clamp 19 may be drawn into the slot 20 of the shuttle andthe tube clamped against the wall of the shuttle. The exit end 15 of the tube is arranged to be partially extended in the opening 17 and thereby held against accidental displacement, or it may otherwise be secured.

The head of the screw 22 and the end 15 ofthe thread tube are arranged in the bottom of the thread groove 24: of the shuttle in order. that there may be no projecting parts to the shuttle.

The entire thread tube, and especially the inner inlet and exit portions of the tube are covered with a layer 25 of enamel which is baked on and the tube thereby given a glazed surface to resist wear from the thread.

Said thread tube 13 is extended from the end of the cop to a pointmidway between the ends of the shuttle where it extends therethrough, with such an arrangement the thread issues from the middle point of the shuttle and the throw of the shuttle in a loom may be reduced, at each end by approximately one half the length of the shuttle.

The instrument shown in Fig. 8 is provided for the purpose of drawing the thread through the tube. This instrument comprises a long flexible shank or wire 26,. secured in a suitable handle 27 and terminating at its other end, in a hooked portion 28. In drawing a thread through the tube the thread is wrapped around or engaged by the hook 28. The instrument is then withdrawn and the thread necessarily follows and is then detached fromthe hook.

I claim:

1. In a shuttle, a thread guide comprising a tube through the length of which thread is adapted to be extended, having openings therethrough intermediate its ends through which air is adapted to flow when the end of the tube is sucked, in preference to flowing the entire length of the tube to thereby prevent the thread being drawn through the length of the tube.

2. In a shuttle, a thread guide comprising a tube having an inlet opening for the entrance of thread adjacent the end of the cop of thread in the shuttle, and an exit opening for the thread remote from the end of the cop of thread and having another opening therein, intermediate said inlet and exit ends whereby, when the exit end of the tube is sucked, for the purpose of drawing the thread into the inlet end of the tube, air will flow through said openings into the tube in preference to flowing through the inlet end of the tube and the thread will thereby not be drawn into the tube.

3. In a shuttle, a thread guide comprising a tube having an inlet opening fOr the en trance of thread adjacent the end of the cop of thread in the shuttle, and reflexed and extended along the shuttle and having an exit opening for the thread remote from the end of the cop of thread, and an opening through the wall of said tube intermediate its ends to prevent the formation of a vacuum at the inlet opening of the tube when the exit opening of the tube is sucked,

to thereby prevent the thread from being drawn into the tube by suction.

4:. In a shuttle, a cop for thread arranged Within the shuttle having the end from Which thread is taken at one end of the shuttle, and a thread guide for the thread comprising a tube of substantial length having an inlet for the thread arranged adjacent the end of the cop and reflexed and extended along the shuttle and having an exit for the thread through the shuttle arranged substantially midway between the ends of the shuttle.

5. In ashuttle having a cop opening therein, a thread guide comprising a tube arranged in said opening and having a thread inlet adjacent the end of the cop in the shuttle and a thread exit remote from the end of the cop, and a tube clamp having a re flexed end extended within the cop opening for engagement with said tube and a screw extended through the shuttle for engagement with said clamp to secure said tube to the shuttle.

6. In a shuttle having a cop opening therein, a thread guide comprising a single length of tube arranged in said opening and having a thread inlet adjacent the end of the cop of thread in the shuttle and a thread exit remote from the end of the cop and substantially midway between the ends of the shuttle, said tube being reflexed and shaped to substantially conform to the Wall of the cop opening of the shuttle.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN ATW'OOD.

Witnesses T. T. GREENWOOD, H. B. DAVIS;

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

